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In August, 1862, he enlisted in the 115th N. V. Vols, and was made first sergeant upon the organization of Company C. At the surrender of Harper's Ferry, Va., to Stonewall Jackson, Sept. 25, 1862, where with his Regiment he was made a prisoner, Sergeant Curreen saved the regimental colors, the only colors of the 12,000 troops that were saved from the enemy. He was wounded at the battle of Olustee, Florida, February 20, 1864, and received promotion to second lieutenant from Governor Horatio Seymour, the commission dating from the battle of Olustee. He was again wounded June 30, 1864, at the Mine Explosion, Petersburg, Va., and thereupon was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. Many times he was sent North by Gen. Q. A. Gilmore on special service. He was mustered out of the service at Albany, N. Y. , in December, 1864, and in 1865 Governor Fenton commissioned him captain of the National Guard in recognition of his many noble acts. Mr. Curreen is now a member of Post 644, G. A. R. , and has held at different times all the offices of the post. He was also on the staff of Gen. Lucius B. Fairchild when he was commander-m-chief of the G. A. R.
After the war Mr. Curreen located in Greenbush, N. Y., where he had charge of the police force, then under the Capital City Police Commission, associated with Chief Shepard and Superintendent Allen. He subsequently went into business again and owned and controlled the Monumental Architectural Works. He remained in Greenbush until 1891, when he removed to his present location. No. 154 Madison avenue, Albany. He held public office in Greenbush several times. He is a member of the Liederkranz Singing Society and of the Trinity M. E. church, in which he has held many important offices. June 1, 1857, he married Sarah A. Near of Albany, and they had five children; George B., Lewis M., Grace R., Ida F. and Fred M. Mrs. Curreen died May 12, 1895.
George H. Curreen, son of John and Sarah (Moore) Curreen, was born in Albany, N. Y., May 27, 1836. His maternal great-grandfather, Hans Collenberg, came from Holland and located in the town of Bethlehem, Albany county, and built a house where the Reformed church school house now stands. His paternal great-grandfather came from Nova Scotia. Mr. Curreen attended the public schools of the city of Albany, and learned the trade of stonecutter with George Belden in Greenbu.sh, N.Y. He remained with him four years and then started in business for himself. The panic of 1857 caused him considerable loss and he moved to Ballston Spa, N. Y., where he worked for O. D. Vaughn at the trade he had learned, until the breaking out of the war.
